Brookline, Newton food pantries receive donation

Monday

May 12, 2014 at 12:01 AM

Amy Slotnick, vice president for Fairway Independent Mortgage, Newton, recently donated $500 each to the Newton and Brookline food pantries as part of the annual “Fairway Gives Back Spring into Action” campaign.

Amy Slotnick, vice president for Fairway Independent Mortgage, Newton, recently donated $500 each to the Newton and Brookline food pantries as part of the annual “Fairway Gives Back Spring into Action” campaign. In lieu of employee holiday gifts and bonuses, loan officers at Fairway Newton are each given $1,000 annually to donate to the charity of their choice. Slotnick opted to support the local food pantries given the increase in need over the last few years.

The Newton Food Pantry serves upwards of 600 people and more than 450 households each month, with most of the food available coming from the Greater Boston Food Bank and corporate donors such as Whole Foods and Panera Bread. Clients may pick up a four- to-five day supply of food once a month, either on Wednesday afternoon or the one Saturday per month the pantry is open. While Newton is considered to be an affluent community, the pantry saw a 60 percent increase in need over the last few years due to the economic crisis.

The Brookline Food Pantry serves more than 550 households each month and has also seen an increase in need over the last three years. According to their calculations, the cost of providing food has increased a whopping 181 percent as well, going from $40,000 in 2009 to $113,660 in 2012.

Both pantries are open limited hours during the month to accept donations and distribute food, so people are encouraged to visit their website or call for more information.

In addition to the annual Fairway Gives Back donations, Fairway regularly supports Nazareth House Shelter in Dorchester, the Cambridge Community of Realtors and “Our Place,” 2020 Vision Quest, Dressed for Success, and first-time home-buyer courses in partnership with local community development corporations.

For more information about the Newton Food Pantry, visit http://www.newtonfoodpantry.org/, or call: 617-928-6021. For the Brookline Food Pantry, http://www.stpaulsbrookline.org/ministries/mission-a-outreach/brookline-emergency-food-pantry.html, or call 617-872-3060.